University of Texas Policies, Procedures, and Resources

Our goal is to ensure that you have an enriching and rewarding graduate experience at UT-Austin. Your Academic Adviser, the Department’s Graduate Adviser, Graduate Coordinator, faculty, and staff are committed to this goal and available to support you as necessary. As a graduate student, however, it is your responsibility to become thoroughly familiar with relevant policies and procedures governing graduate study at The University of Texas at Austin. You are expected to take responsibility for your education and personal development, to know and abide by the academic and disciplinary policies of the department, college, and University, and to be familiar with and meet the requirements of your degree program. You are also expected to make orderly and timely progress and seek advice about degree requirements when necessary.

The University publishes two documents with which you should become very familiar. The Graduate Catalog is published every two years and contains information about the Master’s degree plan, rules that affect graduate students, graduate courses, and a list of Graduate Studies Committee members. The General Information Catalog is published every year and contains general information about The University and rules that affect all students. Both catalogs can be found online. It is your responsibility to be aware of the catalog that governs your graduate study at UT-Austin. A few important policies outlined in these catalogs with which you should become familiar are:

• Academic Policies and Procedures
• Academic Integrity
• Student Affairs
• Student Grievance Procedures
• Readmission
• Transfer of Credit
• Continuous Registration
• Leave of Absence
• Academic Integrity

The Graduate School: Very Important

Every graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin is governed by the policies and procedures of the Graduate School. The Graduate School's website contains updated information regarding professional development, student services, and deadlines, forms, and publications necessary for successful graduate study and graduation. The Graduate School's website also contains information regarding the following topics as well as many, many others:

• Orientation
• Ethics Training
• Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• Guidelines for the Thesis, Report, and Dissertation
• Deadlines, Timelines, and Forms
• Graduation

Links and downloadable forms are available online, as well as points of contact for more information. The Graduate School also disseminates a bi-weekly electronic newsletter for graduate students, which contains valuable information about fellowships, professional activities and opportunities. This site remains a primary resource for doctoral and master’s students at The University and you should become very familiar with the content on this site.

Graduate Ethics and Academic Integrity

As a graduate student, you are expected to maintain high ethical standards and academic integrity in all aspects of your participation in the program. As stated on the University’s website on academic integrity (http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct/):

A fundamental principle for any educational institution, academic integrity is highly valued and seriously regarded at The University of Texas at Austin, as emphasized in the standards of conduct. More specifically, you and other students are expected to “maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of individual honor in scholastic work” undertaken at The University (Sec. 11-801, Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities). This is a very basic expectation that is further reinforced by The University’s Honor Code. At a minimum, you should complete any assignments, exams and other scholastic endeavors with the utmost honesty, which requires you to:

• Acknowledge the contributions of other sources to your scholastic efforts;
• Complete your assignments independently unless expressly authorized to seek or obtain assistance in preparing them;
• Follow instructions for assignments and exams, and observe the standards of your academic discipline; and
• Avoid engaging in any form of academic dishonesty on behalf of yourself or another student.

In addition to your role as a graduate student you will be called upon to establish and uphold these same standards in other roles that you may be assigned, including those of Teaching Assistant, Assistant Instructor, and/or Graduate Research Assistant.

“The sharing of knowledge forms the heart of university life. Scholars, teachers, and students all participate in a community of learning, where the ideas and information that have been developed over centuries are disseminated, elaborated upon, and added to in a continual process of intellectual advancement. High standards of academic integrity help ensure that this process functions smoothly. Without academic integrity, neither the genuine innovations of the individual nor the progress of a given field of study can adequately be assessed, and the very foundation of scholarship itself is undermined. Academic integrity, for all these reasons, is an essential link in the process of intellectual advancement.” (http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/conduct/academicintegrity.php)

You are strongly encouraged to become familiar with the official university policies regarding scholastic dishonesty, as outlined in Chapter 11 of the Institutional Rules on Student Services and Activities, which may be found in Appendix C of the General Information catalog and may be accessed online at: http://catalog.utexas.edu/general-information/appendices/appendix-c/.

Office of the Registrar

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for academic calendars, course schedules, grades, and student records, and performs a myriad of associated functions. Semester Course Schedules may be viewed on the Internet via the Registrar’s website at http://www.utexas.edu/students/registrar. The registrar’s website also provides information, links, and contacts for assistance.

Use of Plus/Minus Grading System and Related Policies

Effective with the In the Fall 2005 semester, the plus/minus system for graduate courses became available for faculty to use. This legislation does not require the use of the plus/minus grades, but expanded the existing system. The following grade equivalents have been established:

It is important for you to make note of the following two Graduate School policies related to grades. Although these policies remain unchanged, the use of plus and minus grades may determine when your academic status is affected by them.

• Any A graduate student whose GPA falls below 3.00 at the end of any semester will be placed on warning status by the Office of Graduate Studies. The student must attain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 during the following semester or summer session in which he or she is enrolled or be subject to dismissal. (Note: A student who earns all B’s and one or more grades of B- or lower will have a GPA of less than 3.00.)

IMPORTANT: Department policy regarding the Master’s program requires students to earn at least a ‘B’ (GPA 3.00) in all courses in the Department’s core and concentration areas.

Student Financial Services

This office is the primary contact for graduate students seeking financial aid or have with any questions regarding scholarships, fellowships, or other university or departmental awards. The main web address for Student Financial Services is http://www.utexas.edu/student/finaid/.; Graduate students seeking employment, information information specifically for employment of graduate students can be found is located at http://www.utexas.edu/student/finaid/graduate.html including a very thorough FAQs page.

Scholarships and Fellowships

In addition to resources available through the Student Financial Services office, you should also become familiar with scholarships and fellowships available at the department, college, and Office of Graduate Studies. See Appendix A and https://education.utexas.edu/departments/special-education/financial-support
for detailed information. You will receive an email notification from the Graduate Coordinator about deadlines for application deadlines and other details, as we receive this information in our offices.

Services for Students with Disabilities

This office provides a variety of programs, services, written materials, and assistance for students with disabilities. Based on the needs of the individual, many different kinds of services are offered to students with visual impairments, hearing impairments, mobility impairments, learning disabilities, medical conditions, and psychological impairments. The office is located in the Student Services Building 4.206. Additional information is located at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/. The office staff may be contacted at 512-471-6259; TDD 512-471-4641; or via email at: ssd@uts.cc.utexas.edu. SSD The University also maintains a website of disability resources that may be found at http://www.utexas.edu/disability/ http://diversity.utexas.edu/disability/disability-advocate-resource-library/

Compliance with the Educational Mandate for Research with Human Participants

If you are completing the thesis or report option as part of your degree, or if you are involved in any other research activities at UT-Austin, you must be in compliance with the University’s educational mandate for research with human participants. Some of you may hold appointments as Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and research activities will be part of your assigned duties. As stated in the procedures manual of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), “All research projects with human participants conducted by faculty, staff, and students associated with The University of Texas at Austin must receive ethical approval before starting the research is begun” (p.1)
https://research.utexas.edu/ors/human-subjects/.

In order to participate in these and other similar projects, you must first complete the training required by The University and document your successful completion of the training with the Office of Research Support and Compliance. In addition to ethics training for research with human participants, you must also obtain approval by the Departmental Research Committee (DRC) and The University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct the research. All research with human participants conducted by UT faculty, students, or staff must receive ethical review by the DRC and the IRB. Each study is assessed in terms of the risk and benefit to which a research participant will be exposed. It is strongly recommended that you become very familiar with the Institutional Review Board Procedures Manual for Faculty, Staff, and Student Researchers with Human Participants. The manual and other documents may be found at https://research.utexas.edu/ors/human-subjects/

Before you submit your application for IRB approval, you must acquire formal training in conducting research with human participants. Follow all procedures outlined on the Office of Research Support and Compliance website at https://research.utexas.edu/ors/human-subjects/.

Make sure that you are aware of the IRB meeting schedule and deadlines for submission of applications, so that you can submit your application in a timely manner. Missing these deadlines may jeopardize your access to the research settings and participants for your study. Though specific requirements for class projects may vary slightly from procedures for other research, the general guidelines remain in effect for all research projects, and completion of ethics training is recommended as early in your program as possible.

All submissions, including the initial application, are done using IRB access, and all forms may be downloaded from the IRB web page at https://research.utexas.edu/ors/human-subjects/irb-forms/. Your faculty sponsor as well as the DRC Chair must approve your application, before the IRB committee will review it. These reviews, any modifications, and approvals are conducted online; instructions for these procedures may be found in Appendix of the IRB User Guide.

Obtain all approvals to conduct research from the school or other agency where you intend to conduct the research. Your IRB application will not be approved until such permission is obtained.

If you plan to complete a dissertation, thesis, or report involving research with human subjects, apply for IRB approval as early as possible, as you may NOT begin data collection until your IRB application has been approved.

99-Hour Rule

The "99-hour rule" refers to the implementation of Senate Bill 961, passed by the Seventy-fifth Legislature. It is the rule that students at UT Austin with over 99 doctoral hours may be subject to the payment of nonresident tuition. This rule affects graduate students who entered in the Fall 1999 or later. Texas residents, and nonresidents who normally would be entitled to pay resident tuition by virtue of work appointments or fellowships, might wonder whether they will be affected by the 99-hour rule (i.e., whether they will reach the point at which the payment of nonresident tuition becomes mandatory). For most students, the answer is "no.” A student will be able to study at UT Austin full-time for seven complete academic years, including summers, before being affected by the 99-hour rule. For students staying beyond seven years, in a number of cases, there is still the possibility of a programmatic or individual exemption from the rule.

The University's 99-hour Rule is stated at https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/policies/99-hour-rule and includes a point of contact for more questions.

Leave of Absence

Graduate students may apply for a leave of absence for no more than two semesters. The Graduate Adviser must approve this request in advance. See the Office of Graduate Studies’ website under quick links online “forms and deadlines” (https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/policies/leaves-of-absence) and the “Authorization for Leave of Absence” form. Granting leaves of absence for students is left to the discretion of the Graduate Adviser and Graduate Studies Committee. The only rule is that the decision be made "in the best interests of the academic progress of the student" and the Authorization for Leave of Absence form must be returned to the Office of Graduate Studies before the semester for which a leave is granted.

A student on an approved leave may reenter the graduate program by filing an Application for Readmission with the Graduate and International Admissions Center. No readmission application fee is required. Failure to secure a leave of absence in advance of the semester for which a student will be on leave means (a) the student will not be guaranteed readmission and (b) the student will be assessed an application fee for readmission.

A student on leave may not use any university facilities nor is the student entitled to receive advice from any member of the faculty. A leave of absence does not alter the time limits for degrees or coursework.

Conditional Admission

Some students may be admitted to the Doctoral degree with conditions. According to the graduate catalog, the Graduate Studies Committee:

May require the student to maintain a certain grade point average or to take a certain number of semester hours of coursework. A conditionally admitted student may also be required to remedy deficiencies in undergraduate preparation by taking upper-division or graduate courses. The graduate adviser notifies the student of these conditions at the time of admission. A student who does not fulfill the conditions within the specified time may be barred from subsequent registration in the Graduate School. If the student changes his or her major before the conditions have been fulfilled, the conditions remain in effect unless the graduate adviser for the new concentration, on behalf of the Graduate Studies Committee, petitions the graduate dean and receives approval for them to be changed.

If any conditions were placed on your admission, please make sure that your Academic Adviser and the graduate coordinator are informed when you have fulfilled these requirements, so that the appropriate procedures may be initiated to remove your conditional status.